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Nearly 20 students were escorted from a Jeffco school board meeting last Thursday night after they staged a demonstration to express concerns about a committee tasked with reviewing curriculum.

The incident occurred during public comment when a student stood and read from a U.S. history book. After that student was stopped by a district security officer, another student stood and started reading. After five students had been stopped, one student blew a whistle, and many students stood up and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Arapahoe County commissioners have serious concerns about Littleton’s proposed urban renewal plans for Columbine Square and South Santa Fe Drive.

The commissioners sent two letters to Littleton on Oct. 28 stating their objections to several items in each plan, including a lack of specificity on the impacts the plans would have on county finances. The commissioners also took exception to the inclusion of an agricultural property in the Santa Fe plan, which they said violates urban-renewal statutes.

The race was called in favor of DeGette about an hour after the polls closed. She received 66 percent of the vote, or 161,557 of the ballots cast, compared to Walsh's 30 percent, or 72,795 votes, with 95 percent of the precincts reporting.

South Jeffco voters rejected the Foothills Park and Recreation District's request for a 53 percent increase in property taxes.

The mill-levy increase was rejected by 54 percent of voters; 46 percent cast ballots in favor.

Foothills had sought the tax increase as a way to address the estimated $60 million in capital repairs needed for its parks and facillities. The 4-mill boost would have helped the district meet a projected budget shortfall due to increased costs and much-need infrastructure repair.

Republican Don Rosier’s bid to win a second term on the Jeffco Board of County Commissioners was successful. Rosier captured 50 percent of the vote to 42 percent for Democratic challenger John Flerlage. Independent candidate Greg Standley had about 8 percent.

Rosier, a water resources engineer, won the seat in 2010 when he defeated incumbent Democrat Kathy Hartman. The Republican has focused on fiscal issues since first being elected and has been a critic of the county using reserve funds to balance the budget.

The staff at Mortensen Elementary in South Jeffco staged a block party — literally — to celebrate Halloween on Friday.

Faculty and office personnel pieced together costumes from “The Lego Movie” and paraded around the school in a tradition that demonstrates the interlocking commitment the school has with its surrounding community.

Not every adult sported a costume with a giant Lego head, but all the big kids conjured characters, to the delight of their smaller counterparts.

A list of finalists to fill the vacancy left on the 1st Judicial District with the upcoming retirement of Chief Judge Stephen Munsinger includes the spouse of a current Jeffco county commissioner.

Laura Tighe, wife of Commissioner Casey Tighe, was one of three finalists picked by the 1st Judicial District Nominating Commission. Gov. John Hickenlooper will choose from that list to replace Munsinger. Todd Kastetter and KJ Moore, both of Littleton, are the other finalists.

The Littleton City Council has approved a new residential parking permit system in response to concerns about commuters using residential streets as a parking lot for RTD’s downtown light-rail stop.

The new neighborhood permit parking program, approved by the council Oct. 21, would let neighborhoods petition the city to create a permit area. Residents would have the permits, and anyone else parking on a neighborhood street could be ticketed.

Items belonging to Sherri Ahlbrandt, a Littleton woman missing in the Oh Be Joyful Recreation Area near Crested Butte since Aug. 13, were found last week by hunters.

The hunters were in the area of Anthracite Creek when they discovered a small waist-pack containing several items with Ahlbrandt’s name on them. Marjorie Trautman, spokeswoman for the Mount Crested Butte Police Department, said the items were discovered in an area away from Ahlbrandt’s planned route.